Cuir de Russie

Creed Cuir de Russie strikes me mainly as a leather laden with green and woody notes as well as some lemon/bergamot in the opening. I agree with Karl below on the existence of the salty ambergris Creed DNA---it takes the leather from a heavy winter fragrance to a four-season citrus leather. Not quite as acerbic and intense as the Chanel fragrance of the same name, Creed Cuir de Russie is smoothly-blended and, as an EDT, far more year-round-friendly. Not especially impressive on projection or longevity (not that that would be expected from a mid-century Creed EDT) Unfortunately, it's scarcely available as a discontinued item that was only ever offered in flacon form. Still, one I'm glad I was able to try via ScentSplit. 7 out of 10

A few years ago, alongside Vintage Tabarome, another historical Creed fragrance briefly found its way into my possession, acquired from an elderly perfume collector and antiques enthusiast. Although I was immediately fascinated by the scent, it stayed with me for only a few days. It was sold in record time, strictly as a collector’s piece, exactly as it was bought, passed on without hesitation. Cuir de Russie represents an era when Russian leather carried real weight in perfumery. Entire decades were defined by this accord, a time when the smell of leather was not about comfort or sensuality, but about authority, discipline, and status. The olfactory profile is extremely austere: watery yet metallic, sharply green, dry, and unmistakably retro. There is an almost mineral coldness to it, paired with a smoky, birch-tar leather that never softens. The structure feels vertical and severe, with no attempt to charm or accommodate the wearer. It is rigid, uncompromising, and intellectually demanding. In today's context, this is simply unwearable. I cannot imagine this fragrance functioning in any modern social setting. That said, I can easily envision a different time a world where such a scent was worn with pleasure, confidence, and complete naturalness by men of another era. Cuir de Russie does not aim to please. It does not evolve to comfort. It stands as a historical artifact in liquid form a document of perfumery history rather than a contemporary fragrance. As a scent, it overwhelms. As a collector’s object, it makes perfect sense.

Far more agreeable to me than Royal English Leather. Agree with citrusy start and can find the neroli scent there. Birch very nicely ties that together with a smoky leather scent. Over time the neroli reduces but doesn't vanish, emphasizing a smoky leather... as if someone opened a hundred year old leather bound book, with some of the scent of aged paper and placed it on a table next to oranges. An hour later, there is even less citrus but the reminder blends with the leather to remind more of antique paper with a beautiful complexity. To me, the ambergris is the strongest component. Highly recommended. On a continuum between Orange Spice and Royal English Leather, this is in between and perhaps the most pleasing out of the three. The note in Royal English Leather that some find disagreeable is present and adds depth, but it's distant - the neroli is in front of it. You can tell that this is one of the more classic Creed perfumes. If it ever gets reissued, I am signing up for a large flacon.

Styrax Heaven. Cuir de Russie is a gloriously smooth, understated animal hide, clean and luxurious, yet always a touch bitter and wild. The pine/bergamot/neroli accord in the top note is fizzy, spicy, and fresh. The fruity-neroli element becomes birch, and the pine becomes styrax, with considerable mossiness and a light amber accenting it all. This has the "Creed water" note, namely salty ambergris, which stands in stark and intriguing contrast to the usual dry-woody leather aspect one finds in your usual dry-woody leathers. In other words, this is an unconventional leather, not a traditional one, but it smells amazing. It's somewhat linear, but its main accord is delicately composed and nicely blended. For a fresh, clean, first-class leather, Creed's is hard to beat.

This was the signature fragrance of none other than Errol Flynn and was made specifically for Errol, by James Henry Creed himself. My dad has an old bottle of either the after shave or cologne and I must admit it holds up well to this day, but Smells very much of those times. Definitely a dated, vintage smell that perfume makers don’t go near anymore, nevertheless, such a classic, masculine, edgy fragrance. If you’re looking for that time period in a masculine scent, you’ll love this. You can just imagine Errol pulling up to some red carpet premier reeking of this stuff, turning the heads of nearly every woman in sight. A true classic from Creed

Help me out. To my nose, CdR smells like a blast of dihydromyrcenol without a trace of leather in sight. Mind you, dihydromyrcenol is my kryptonite, and Cool Water, Green Irish Tweed, etc. all stink of it (yes, I know I may be an outlier in this opinion). It's that screechy, lemon detergent, eye-watering offensive high note that I shrivel at the merest hint of it. And CdR brings it all back to me. You don't have to prove me wrong--we all have our tastes and opinions--but does anyone else get what I'm talking about? (It may be another ingredient or two I'm experiencing, but whatever it is, when it's in a fragrance it's all I smell).

You may have to resort to a decant. I use the Perfumed Court, which appears to have many scents. I have yet to locate it. It is supposed to be superior to Chanel's. I don't know if I'm allowed to display website. Here goes: theperfumedcourt.com/Default.aspx

If you liked this fragrance, or wished you could have tried it, give Bogart by Jacques Bogart (aka "Signature") a try. Birch, Russian leather and oakmoss in both, and you get 100 ml for about the same price as you can buy a decant of Creed's product.

Does anybody know where I can get his current discontinued fragance other than the person selling on E Bay at ridiculous greedy prices